Home > About ZACH

1510 Toomey Road
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 476-0594
Box Office: (512) 476-0541, x1
Fax: (512) 476-0314
Email

Zachary Scott Theatre Center (ZACH) operates two theatre buildings located at the corner of Riverside Dr. & S. Lamar Blvd. on scenic Town Lake. Free parking is available in front of both theatres.

Founded in 1932, ZACH is one of Austin's most vibrant and innovative arts organizations and Central Texas' oldest professional theatre. ZACH's mission is to engage Central Texas in a dialogue by producing professional theatre of the highest artistic quality, inspired by a unique artistic vision and to offer a diverse theatre experience which is accessible to the community as a whole. In addition, ZACH fosters artistic education, expression, and development in children, teens and adults through a variety of outreach opportunities.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dave Steakley and Managing Director Elisbeth Challener, ZACH's critically acclaimed productions draw annual audiences of over 150,000 persons. From The Rocky Horror Show to Angels In America, from The Who's Tommy to The Gospel At Colonus, and from Noel Coward's Present Laughter to Omnium-Gatherum innovation defines ZACH's Mainstage. At ZACH, we seek in our work to not only reflect Austin, but to inspire, encourage, motivate, and engage Austinites in vital dialogues which have resonance in our community on topics like race, gender, sexuality, freedom, responsibility, and compassion among many others. We produce plays and musicals with a unique theatrical vision that breaks the fourth wall with the audience, that re-interprets a familiar work in a way which makes sense for Austin, that embraces Austins vibrant live music scene, that engages viewers as participants in large scale works in our very intimate theatres, and that lifts the human spirit.

Our audiences tell us the number one thing they enjoy about ZACH is the intimacy. We have come to understand that for our audience this refers not only to the close physical proximity of our audience to the actors on-stage, but also to the powerful states of emotional and spiritual intimacy which our work promotes. Transformation is a primary characteristic of the theatre we create, and as characters often transform on-stage before our audience's eyes, hopefully the audience has been engaged in an experience that also carries the tools for personal change on some level.

Because we desire a dialogue which is inclusive, ZACH is committed to diversity and is a leader in the state at providing opportunities for artists of all races to participate fully in the artistic process. And because we are committed to building an audience for this art form in the future, we are engaging young Austinites in a variety of programs that are designed to build self esteem and self awareness, and ignite within them the fire of self-transformation that is accessed in meaningful theatrical experiences that carry the tools for change.

ZACH's PROJECT DISCOVERY fosters the development of young audiences by bringing Austin's elementary, middle and high school students to see Mainstage shows for tickets priced under $5. ZACH's PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL, offers theatre classes to over 7,500 students of all ages, and PROJECT INTERACT, ZACH's professional theatre for youth company in its 25th season, will tour to over 50,000 Central Texas school children performing live, interactive, original plays commissioned with our community in mind.

ZACH also has a long-term commitment to a variety of community social service partners to whom we donate performances with the total proceeds going to the charitable organization. ZACH has collaborated with AIDS Services of Austin in conducting audience appeals after performances of ZACH Mainstage shows and has raised in excess of $75,000 over the past six years.

Production History 1990 to the Present.